Former Bon Jovi member Richie Sambora has said he regrets abruptly leaving the band during their 2013 Because We Can tour.
The 64-year-old musician, who joined Bon Jovi in 1983 as the band’s lead guitarist, abruptly left the group without warning just hours before he was scheduled to perform at a show in Calgary. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Sambora shared a clip from Hulu’s new documentary series Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story that he wrote was “from the editing room floor.”
In the video, Sambora, wearing a red shirt, black pants and a brown cowboy hat, speaks to the camera from his living room.
“I heard everything, and I was the guy who really fought for this to be a band,” he said.
Jon Bon Jovi says he’s most proud of his 40-year music career: “It’s indescribable.”
Richie Sambora reflects on his departure from Bon Jovi. (Getty)
“Being married to four men is really hard,” Sambora continued with a laugh. “And be close as we are. That coupled with her daughter coming of age, her wife’s mental health really deteriorated and she needed me.”
“And I needed a girlfriend,” he said, referring to his ex-wife Heather Locklear, 62.
Sambora and Locklear married in December 1994 and welcomed daughter Eva, now 26, in October 1997. In 2006, the Melrose Place alum filed for divorce from Sambora, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Their split was completed in April 2007.
Locklear has publicly struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues for years. In 2008, she entered a rehab facility for treatment of anxiety and depression. Since then, the actress has sought treatment in rehab facilities several times and dealt with numerous legal issues.
Despite their divorce, Sambora and Locklear remain close, with Sambora previously telling People magazine that he will “always be there” for her and their daughter.
Sambora has also spoken openly about his battle with substance abuse. He entered rehab for alcoholism in 2007 and again in 2011.
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Sambora apologized to Bon Jovi fans and former bandmates in a clip he shared from the docuseries.
“I don’t regret walking away from this situation, but I do regret the way I acted,” he said. “So I want to apologize right now to all the fans and especially the players, for not being able to walk out the door because of my legs and my mind.”
However, Sambora said she felt there was “not a lot of sympathy” for the situation she was facing at the time.
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“I’ve been in this organization for 31 and a half years and everyone has personal tragedies and stuff, but I didn’t get a lot of sympathy for what I went through,” he said. .
“I think everyone had their own perspective on fame and fortune…” he continued. “Everyone goes through it at a different speed. That’s how life can just fuck you up from one guy to the next, blah, blah, blah.”
Sambora and Locklear were married from 1994 to 2007. (Jeffrey Meyer/Wire Image)
Sambora was one of frontman Jon Bon Jovi’s most frequent songwriting collaborators, and the two wrote some of the band’s biggest hits. In the video, Sambora reflected on his relationship with John during their time in the band.
“I was indispensable because I spent more time with John than his wife and I was more honest with him,” he said. “Even in the early stages of writing and recording material, we spent a lot of time in rooms with no windows.
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“I think we got a nice view,” Sambora said. “I was a fan too. If I was a fan of John, if I was a fan of the audience, I might be like, ‘I don’t want to hear your songs.’ That’s the way it is.
“I think that was one of my main roles, other than being his right hand, so to speak, and being an exact mirror.”
Photo of Sambora, Alec John Such, Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, and David Bryan, 1985. (Paul Nutkin)
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Jon Bon Jovi shared his thoughts on Sambora’s departure from the band.
“If I can accept the responsibility of being overworked, I will,” he said. “But it was never malicious, we never fought, and there was never any malicious intent.
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“Richie has had his share of issues, both public and private, including substance abuse, anxiety and being a single father. But we had to keep doing what we were doing and he didn’t want to do it anymore. I chose not to.
“So, unfortunately for him and for us, you know, being in a rock band is not a life sentence. So he made the choice that he didn’t want to be in a band anymore.” It is.”
